Here’s to nattō, Japan’s original superfood
One of the country’s most notable 健康食品 (kenkō shokuhin, health food products), 納豆 is made from 大豆 (daizu, soybeans) fermented with 枯草菌 (kosōkin, bacillus subtilis).
Don't give up yet on giving and getting in Japanese
One of the first things taught in anthropology classes is that presents exchanged in a given society hardly ever come for free. When someone gives another person something, that always entails some sort of obligation. Acts of giving and receiving are hence highly sensitive ...
Speaking up in Japanese for quality time off work
Decades ago, the mid-1980s to be exact, I complained to my mom that my dad worked too much. Like legions of middle-aged Japanese salarymen, my father was never home before 9 p.m. and spent his weekends on 海外出張 (kaigai shucchō, overseas business trips). He ...
Matching the ins and outs of two common kanji
From April 1, the 入国管理局 (nyūkoku kanri-kyoku, Immigration Bureau), which operated under the auspices of the 法務省 (hōmushō, Justice Ministry), was upgraded from a bureau to an agency. Its Japanese name changed to 出入国在留管理庁 (shutsunyūkoku zairyū kanri-chō), which can be interpreted as the agency ...
When giving a public speech in Japanese, tears can be your trump card
There are certain occasions in Japan when showing emotion is expected. Deploying a few key phrases can also do the trick.
A few parting words in Japanese for when you retire
Japan needed to pass a special law before the Emperor was able to "retire," but for the rest of us the process is a bit easier — as long as you know the vocabulary involved.
使用? 利用? Make use of a dictionary to use your Japanese properly
As your Japanese improves you'll begin to find there are subtle nuances in the language that can stump even native speakers. That's when you turn to a Japanese dictionary.
Use 'shin' to make a new start in the Reiwa Era
Spring is the time for new life, the new school year, new coworkers and, in 2019, a new Imperial era.
Heisei it ain't so! An era of great vocabulary is ending
In the beginning there was the word. More precisely, the prefix. When the Heisei Era officially started, on Jan. 8, 1989, Japan's economy was still merrily bubbling along. That must have been one reason for the popularity of 超 (chō, hyper-). The prefix itself ...
To differentiate a 'piri-piri' throat from a 'muzu-muzu' one, you'll have to know your onomatopoeia
If you ever want to take a break from grammar and reading when studying Japanese, dive into the world of "giongo" and "gitaigo."
Hay fever season gets people sneezing and talking
A good way to start a conversation in Japanese at this time of year is to talk about allergies and hay fever in particular. Learning the vocabulary for sore eyes and runny noses can also help at your local pharmacy.
Wake up and smell Japan through new vocabulary
The world is full of smells. Good smells and bad smells, pleasant and unpleasant smells, fragrant and pungent smells. Though the nose is not our most reliable advisor in perception — eyesight is far more important, as is well known — smells clearly have ...
